front of her. Lauren froze. Before she could react, JT came flying toward her, arms waving wild circles, running all out. His eyes were huge with fear.
“Go!” he shouted into her face as he raced past her.
Lauren pivoted and sprinted after him. Another deep bellow exploded right behind her. It sounded angry. She risked a glimpse over her shoulder as she ran.
A massive wet shape surged across the rocky ground behind her, moving with terrifying speed, rippling up and down in a violent humping motion. It reared up behind her, taller than she was, and much, much wider.
Lauren’s belly clenched in terror. Oh Christ, what the hell was it?
Her feet pounded onto the boards of the dock. She whipped her head around again. It was almost on top of her now, the size of a minivan, its gray hide knotted into a cauliflower mass of scar tissue. She glimpsed an eye, red-veined with rage. Then, with a sideways jerk, the beast suddenly broke off the chase. It faded back into the darkness with another chest-rattling roar.
Lauren slowed her pace. The visible part of the dock remained empty behind her. Her heart was hammering. Her hands shook. Fucking JT! He had let that thing almost get her. She backed the rest of the way to join the others, staring fearfully at the shore.
CHAPTER 21
“F uck, fuck, fuck! ” JT was bent almost double, his hands on his knees. His chest heaved violently, breaths whistling in and out. Camilla put a hand on his shoulder, but he shook it off.
“Christ!” Lauren looked frantically from face to face, her mouth opening and closing. “What was that thing?”
“A seal?” Mason called to Juan. “You think?”
To Camilla’s surprise, he was laughing.
Lauren took two angry steps and pushed Mason hard in the chest. He stumbled back and almost fell. She glared at him for a moment, but her hands were shaking. It looked as though she didn’t trust herself to speak. Then she stalked off.
JT straightened up and looked at Mason. “You find something about this funny, asshole?”
Mason seemed like he was about to say something more, but Camilla quickly took his arm. “I need to talk to you,” she said.
She led him away from JT’s angry stare. Then she put her fists on her hips and rounded on him. “What were you thinking? This isn’t a joke. There’s something dangerous out there.”
“There might be something out there, but trust me, it’s not likely any real danger.” Mason’s voice was calm, reasonable. “Think about it. Whatever it is, they put it there deliberately, to liven things up with a little drama.”
What he said made a lot of sense. It was even kind of obvious, in a way. Surprising that no one else had considered it.
“Let’s tell the others, then,” she said. “We need to get everybody calmed down before someone does something dumb.”
She started forward, but Mason gently held her back by the arm.
Behind his glasses, his eyes twinkled. “Or we can just keep quiet instead. See how long it takes them to figure it out for themselves.”
• • •
“No bars. I can’t get a signal, either.” Veronica sat on the dock next to Camilla, hugging her knees to her chest. The screen of her phone lit her face from below. The others were barely visible, sitting or reclining in twos and threes scattered about the dock.
“How about you?” Camilla turned to Jordan, sitting to her other side.
“Me, neither. Nothing,” she said. “I’ve got Verizon. Who do you have?”
“A T and T.”
A few hours had gone by. After a brief debate, everyone had agreed to wait until dawn, and see what the daylight brought. No one wanted to dare the darkness beyond the dock again. They had all settled in for a lengthy wait, doing their best to get comfortable despite the cold, the stomach-churning smell, and the sporadic chorus of animal barks and grunts.
Natalie lay on her back with her knees raised, staring at the sky. Her hands were tucked into her hoodie’s front pockets. Camilla
“Go!” he shouted into her face as he raced past her.
Lauren pivoted and sprinted after him. Another deep bellow exploded right behind her. It sounded angry. She risked a glimpse over her shoulder as she ran.
A massive wet shape surged across the rocky ground behind her, moving with terrifying speed, rippling up and down in a violent humping motion. It reared up behind her, taller than she was, and much, much wider.
Lauren’s belly clenched in terror. Oh Christ, what the hell was it?
Her feet pounded onto the boards of the dock. She whipped her head around again. It was almost on top of her now, the size of a minivan, its gray hide knotted into a cauliflower mass of scar tissue. She glimpsed an eye, red-veined with rage. Then, with a sideways jerk, the beast suddenly broke off the chase. It faded back into the darkness with another chest-rattling roar.
Lauren slowed her pace. The visible part of the dock remained empty behind her. Her heart was hammering. Her hands shook. Fucking JT! He had let that thing almost get her. She backed the rest of the way to join the others, staring fearfully at the shore.
CHAPTER 21
“F uck, fuck, fuck! ” JT was bent almost double, his hands on his knees. His chest heaved violently, breaths whistling in and out. Camilla put a hand on his shoulder, but he shook it off.
“Christ!” Lauren looked frantically from face to face, her mouth opening and closing. “What was that thing?”
“A seal?” Mason called to Juan. “You think?”
To Camilla’s surprise, he was laughing.
Lauren took two angry steps and pushed Mason hard in the chest. He stumbled back and almost fell. She glared at him for a moment, but her hands were shaking. It looked as though she didn’t trust herself to speak. Then she stalked off.
JT straightened up and looked at Mason. “You find something about this funny, asshole?”
Mason seemed like he was about to say something more, but Camilla quickly took his arm. “I need to talk to you,” she said.
She led him away from JT’s angry stare. Then she put her fists on her hips and rounded on him. “What were you thinking? This isn’t a joke. There’s something dangerous out there.”
“There might be something out there, but trust me, it’s not likely any real danger.” Mason’s voice was calm, reasonable. “Think about it. Whatever it is, they put it there deliberately, to liven things up with a little drama.”
What he said made a lot of sense. It was even kind of obvious, in a way. Surprising that no one else had considered it.
“Let’s tell the others, then,” she said. “We need to get everybody calmed down before someone does something dumb.”
She started forward, but Mason gently held her back by the arm.
Behind his glasses, his eyes twinkled. “Or we can just keep quiet instead. See how long it takes them to figure it out for themselves.”
• • •
“No bars. I can’t get a signal, either.” Veronica sat on the dock next to Camilla, hugging her knees to her chest. The screen of her phone lit her face from below. The others were barely visible, sitting or reclining in twos and threes scattered about the dock.
“How about you?” Camilla turned to Jordan, sitting to her other side.
“Me, neither. Nothing,” she said. “I’ve got Verizon. Who do you have?”
“A T and T.”
A few hours had gone by. After a brief debate, everyone had agreed to wait until dawn, and see what the daylight brought. No one wanted to dare the darkness beyond the dock again. They had all settled in for a lengthy wait, doing their best to get comfortable despite the cold, the stomach-churning smell, and the sporadic chorus of animal barks and grunts.
Natalie lay on her back with her knees raised, staring at the sky. Her hands were tucked into her hoodie’s front pockets. Camilla
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